3 Current Trends Shaping LinkedIn Strategies for Businesses and Entrepreneurs (and How to Leverage Them!)

Today, I want to share some insights I've gleaned recently from working with businesses across various industries – manufacturing, distribution, niche markets, SaaS companies, financial services, private equity, to name a few. Here are three key trends I'm seeing that can help you elevate your LinkedIn presence:

1. Building Trust Through Personal Connections:

Many businesses are laser-focused on growing their follower count on company pages. This interest often stems from the visibility of competitors who boast high followership. While enhancing your corporate page is crucial, it's important to remember that personal profiles often see higher levels of engagement. Personal interactions with key stakeholders can lead to more substantial opportunities for growth and business development. While a healthy following is great, here's the secret: personal profiles are where the real engagement happens.

Think of your company page as a beautiful storefront, but your personal profiles are the friendly salespeople sparking conversations with potential customers. Regularly share valuable content on your profile to establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.

Pro Tip: Don't neglect your company page entirely! Use it as a hub for curated content and announcements. Create a strategy that allows your employees help you maximize reach. This can be as simple as sending a link via email to the team encouraging them to share like and comment or using the Notify Employees option by clicking the three dots to the right-hand side of each post.?

2. Lead Generation: A Strategic Approach:

Generating leads is a top priority for many businesses. Here at Linkability.us, we've been diving deep into maximizing different market segments and lead generation strategies when traditional sources may be drying up.

Our secret sauce? Monthly strategy sessions with clients. Over the past year or so, our focus on lead generation has revealed the importance of continually assessing and adjusting our strategies. During monthly strategy sessions with clients, we analyze outcomes, identify necessary pivots, and uncover untapped opportunities. Our broad engagement across various industries enables us to identify overarching trends and apply targeted strategies at a granular level. This approach helps our clients effectively navigate economic fluctuations and maintain a competitive edge.

For example, we proactively test market sectors that are currently thriving or are poised to benefit from economic downturns, rather than relying solely on historically successful markets. As we observe slowdowns in some areas and upticks in others, it's crucial to maintain open lines of communication and explore new avenues. This agility ensures our clients can stay ahead of the curve and adapt quickly as economic conditions change.

3. Side Hustles Become Main Hustles:

We're seeing a rise in professionals building consulting businesses alongside their full-time jobs. These individuals want to eventually transition to a consulting career, and LinkedIn is a powerful tool for them.

Many choose to build their consulting business conservatively while still employed, aiming to replace their full-time income without compromising their current position. Our role in this transition involves guiding them in strategically structuring their LinkedIn profiles and developing effective outreach strategies. This might include a professional rework of their LinkedIn profiles and personalized strategy sessions to enhance their effectiveness and ensure they are targeting the right audience discreetly and efficiently.

Stay Ahead: Leverage Emerging Trends for Strategic Success

These insights reflect broader trends that could influence your strategic planning. Whether you're looking to expand your digital footprint, generate more leads, or transition into consulting, understanding and leveraging these trends can provide a significant advantage in today’s competitive environment.

What trends are you noticing in your industry? Are you making any strategic pivots due to current macroeconomic or geopolitical factors?

Feel free to comment below with your observations or questions. If you prefer a more personalized discussion about your specific needs, please don't hesitate to reach out directly.

Kim Peterson Stone is a three-time business founder, keynote speaker, and leading LinkedIn strategist that has amassed a global following of over 225,000 on LinkedIn. Not only has she authored hundreds of articles on LinkedIn and become a verified thought leader, but she has helped her clients do the same.

Her B2B digital marketing agency, Linkability, Inc., has helped many clients from Intrapreneurs and Entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies work smarter on LinkedIn by leveraging the art of surviving disruption. With her intimate knowledge of thought leadership, entrepreneurship, and global business communications, Kim uses creative and purpose-driven solutions to develop a strong brand presence, generate targeted leads, and maximize online visibility for their clients.

Kim has changed the lives of many, not by selling products but by?solving?problems, and she can teach you to do the same.

Are you looking to strengthen your LinkedIn strategy to stay ahead of your future career goals? Let us help – reach out to us today!